If you live in a small flat town you might survive because everyone knows you are an idiot and watch out for you.

The myth of fixed wheel bikes has been around for a long time, and a long time ago like during the great depression, when road traffic was pretty sparce, old guys riding slowly may have got away with it. Idiot couriers doing idiotic things are living in an alternative world.

no one cares about being on time or arriving at work sweaty and smelly – uuuaargh

Whooo yes, FXH.
A lesson I learned when I was 15 and riding up a hill on a main road to high school: don’t slipstream behind garbage trucks. The enduring smell of rotten kitchen scraps, garden cuttings and assorted human waste will *not* make you more popular with your classmates.

All of what you say is true for cycle lanes to a certain extent, but I much prefer to share the road. I’m comfortable doing this fairly aggressively as I now live in a small town where the “door zone” is relatively small, traffic fairly light and drivers generally pretty dozy. The only real worry for me is roundabouts, where the clueless motorists (that’s everybody, including me when I’m driving) just don’t look for tall, thinnish, brightly coloured objects unless you are RIGHT IN THEIR BLOODY FACES i.e. take the lane. There a website somewhere that details effective lane-taking but I generally only use it at roundabouts or where there are lots of active looking parked cars (schools, churches, shopping centres).

Warning: some young, aggressive P-Platers generally do not like seeing a 40 something lycra covered lardarse taking up their precious space on the road. Use middle digit or snarky smile where appropriate.

I hate dedicated cycle paths: too much debris, broken glass, wandering pedestrians and never-ever maintenance. I think the road is safer providing you can bear getting honked at.

I’m frequently amazed by the people who design cycling infrastructure- in some case they manage to make roads and paths less safe for cyclists.

In terms of bikepaths in Melbourne there’s the Merri Creek trail, the beach road trail and the main yarra trail and not a lot else.

I mostly ride on the roads, which I know is less than ideal for many commuters, especially those just starting out.

My philosophy on bike paths is a bit bleak, I’d rather get hit while on the road than have a collision on a bike path with a pedestrian.

I’m glad that a lot of the bikelanes in the inner North of Melbourne appear to be getting wider, and hopefully a bit safer.

No, cycle lanes are crap because they are too narrow and put the rider in the “door zone”, and then it’s less possible to ride further out because the painted line reinforces the impression for motorists that bikes should NOT be outside of it, hence more harassment. Lose lose for everyone.

Its possible to pedal from the inner city (on trails mostly) up to Warbuton, around 80Ks, for a weekend holiday in the hills.

Some Trails are used a bit for commuting but they tend to circuitus routes. The exception is the Yarra Trail which is heavily used for commuting from the south east. I can’t remember the figure but I saw one count which I think was over 200+ bikes an hour in one section in peak hour. Certainly if you have a look near the exit near Fed Square the bikes pour out of a morning.

Melbourne isn’t that flat once you are out of the inner city suburbs and comparing it with Darwin is a bit rough. I think Darwin sits at about 100,000 people and flat with a maximum commute of about 5ks (and no one cares about being on time or arriving at work sweaty and smelly – uuuaargh) and Melbourne 4,000,000 people with plenty commuting 50+ ks each way (and well dressed and clean).

Rode “to work” today (ie. to local hub station, which gives me a nice ride but avoids the v. scary inner city – see Ken’s comment above); Left work at 6PM but still had to miss one #$%& train because #$%&* Connex had mucked things up again and it was too $%^** crowded… Do I sound irritated?????

I hate Connex. Mixed mode transport is necessary for some people.

I agree with everything Ken said about bike paths – and yes, some suburbs are better served than others… Ours are shit, and appear to be arranged by a cycle hater who wants to kill off as many as possible.

‘if youre really going fast (and surely that would be one of the greatest pleasures of it when conditions allow as its basically a track racing bike), wouldnt the absence of coasting mean that your feet are going up and down comically and uncomfortably fast – I wouldnt find that a particularly good feel’

It’s a flow thing- the feeling of perpetual motion is just as enjoyable as coasting.

That is the meditative quality of a fixed gear bike- after a while spinning becomes natural.

You vary your leg speed, rather than changing gears.

And if you’re legs are going to fast, a gentle touch on the brakes will slow you down.

The weather here is a little less trust worthy in some ways. I could imagine the evenings and early morn to be great weather to use a bike in Darwin.

Melbourne is coldish in winter morns, quite windy and the threat of the rain cloud is always there although with the permanent drought it may be worthwhile taking your chances.

It’s also a bigger city and and a longer ride than Darwin.

Having said that I know a several execs who bike to work every day. Don’t know much about the northern burbs, but there are lots of bike tracks from the south leading to the city and some good rides along the river too.

I’m sorta suprised you say that about Melb. I’ve lived back here for about 4 years now and the thing that struck me about this place was the number of bike riders out there with the latest spivvy Italian riding customes and 10 grand bikes. Get the colors and testicle choking tights right and you’ll get into the swing of things down here in no time.

Here in Darwin, both Jen and I cycle to work most days, do the shopping on our pushies and even ride into the city and back at night to see movies, theatre or go out to a restaurant. In fact we don’t use our cars much at all. We can do that comfortably here because of the extensive network of cycle paths. You seldom need to ride on the road. No such network exists in Melbourne (or Sydney for that matter), even though the terrain is just as flat as Darwin. I wouldn’t even consider using a bike as my standard means of transportation in Melbourne. The traffic is terrifyingly dense for anyone with a greater level of commonsense and self-preservation than the average twenty-something dickhead with delusions of immortality.

Seems to me that this is a much more important issue to discuss than the alleged esoteric delights of “fixies”. What with global warming, rising fuel costs etc, cycling would be a viable even preferable mode of primary transportation in a city like Melbourne if someone had the initiative to begin constructing a decent network of cycle paths. I hope someone starts doing it soon. Melbourne is so progressive and people-friendly in so many other respects (compared with Sydney anyway). We’re seriously thinking of moving to Melbourne in a year or so, and I don’t really want to give up or drastically curtail my cycling habit. It’s the only thing that stops me getting even fatter than I already am.

No other bikes feel as smooth as riding a fixed gear, no road or geared bike can even come close.

I’ve been reading some of the articles Don has linked to and they all talk about the sensuality and “feel” of a fixie. Something I don’t understand though: if you’re really going fast (and surely that would be one of the greatest pleasures of it when conditions allow as it’s basically a track racing bike), wouldn’t the absence of coasting mean that your feet are going up and down comically and uncomfortably fast – I wouldn’t find that a particularly good “feel”. Is there something I’m not getting here (seeing as I’ve never ridden a fixie and would probably never get up much speed on one.)

With the normal kind of bike, I really enjoy the coasting with that gentle buzz/clicking of the freewheel – it’s a lovely sound.

No other bikes feel as smooth as riding a fixed gear, no road or geared bike can even come close.

But of course there is a massive poser thing going on.

I just wish rich middle aged men stopped buying bikes and forcing prices to stratospheric levels.

Now I pootle around with on a straight commercial middle range unit with a rack, panniers, yellow safety jacket and lights and bell. I wear metal clips around my strides or tuck my trousers into my socks. I stop at lights and the only risk I take nowadays is wearing a T-shirt I made myself inscribed “One Less Fixie”. Depending on the demand I might start selling them from my website http://www.mildly.critical.mass.com.au

Im presuming its just like the bikes kids start out on – no brakes just back pedal to stop.

No, those bikes had brakes in the hub. On a fixie you are the brake. How are them knees?